Luton to Gatwick Airport Taxi & Transfer
Fixed-price chauffeured taxi from London Luton Airport (LTN) to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) — around 70 miles and 75–110 minutes via the M1, M25 and M23. We meet you inside Luton arrivals with a name board and drop you at the right Gatwick terminal door, North or South. From £100, agreed at booking. Flight tracked automatically, 60 minutes free waiting, no surge, no meter, no night surcharge. Saloon, Executive, MPV 6-seater and 8-seater. TfL licensed, 24/7.
Luton to Gatwick — 70 miles, three motorways
Luton and Gatwick sit on opposite sides of London. Luton is about 30 miles north of the capital in Bedfordshire; Gatwick is about 28 miles south of it on the Surrey–Sussex border. There is no direct road across the middle, so every car journey between them goes around London on the M25 — which is why the straight-line distance of roughly 48 miles becomes about 70 miles of driving.
The standard route runs anti-clockwise round the western side of the M25, past Heathrow. It is the longer arc in miles but almost always the faster one, because the eastern side funnels through the Dartford Crossing.
How long it really takes
Clear roads — typically before 06:30 or after 20:00 — and the drive is 75 to 85 minutes. Ordinary daytime traffic puts it at 85 to 100 minutes. Weekday peaks between 07:00–09:30 and 16:00–19:00 can push it to two hours, and the usual culprits are the M25 between junctions 12 and 16 near Heathrow, and the M23/M25 interchange at junction 7.
We build the realistic time into the pickup, not the optimistic one, and because the fare is fixed at booking, sitting in M25 traffic costs you nothing extra. A meter or a surge app is where that same traffic gets expensive.
| When you travel | Typical door-to-door | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| Before 06:30 | 75–85 min | Clear M25; the best window for an early Gatwick check-in. |
| 07:00–09:30 weekday | 100–125 min | Heathrow-side M25 commuter peak. Build in a buffer. |
| 10:00–15:30 | 85–100 min | Steady inter-peak running. The most predictable window. |
| 16:00–19:00 weekday | 100–130 min | Evening peak plus Friday getaway traffic on the M25 and M23. |
| After 20:00 & overnight | 75–90 min | Quiet. Watch for overnight M25 lane closures. |
Indicative door-to-door times for the Luton (LTN) to Gatwick (LGW) road route via M1, M25 and M23. Your fixed fare does not change with traffic.
How much time to leave between the two flights
Most people making this journey are connecting two separately booked flights, and that is the single most important thing to understand about it: Luton and Gatwick are different airports owned by different operators. There is no through-baggage, no protected connection and no airline obligation if the first flight runs late. If you miss the second departure, you are re-booking it yourself.
Our rule of thumb
Leave at least five hours between your scheduled Luton landing time and your scheduled Gatwick departure time. In winter, over school holidays, or if either leg is a budget carrier with a tight turnaround, make it six or more.
Where those five hours go
Up to 60 minutes at Luton. Taxiing, disembarking, immigration and baggage reclaim. On a busy evening with several wide-body arrivals it can be longer, which is why our waiting time starts when you land, not when you booked.
75 to 130 minutes on the road. The realistic range for the M1/M25/M23, depending entirely on when you travel. Take the pessimistic end when planning.
Two hours at Gatwick. Gatwick asks passengers to arrive two hours before a short-haul departure and three before long-haul. Bag drop for most airlines closes 40 minutes before departure and does not reopen.
Add those up and five hours is comfortable rather than generous. If your two flights are closer together than that, the safer plan is usually an overnight near Gatwick — and we can run you to a Crawley or Horley hotel instead, then to the terminal in the morning, on two short fixed fares.
Where we meet you at Luton
Luton has a single passenger terminal, so there is no terminal to choose and no shuttle to catch — a simpler start than Heathrow or Gatwick. What matters at Luton is the arrivals layout and the airport's own charges.
Arrivals meet-and-greet
easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, TUI and Jet2 make up most of Luton's traffic.
Your driver waits inside the arrivals hall with a name board rather than calling you from a car park. We track the inbound flight, so an early landing or a two-hour delay is handled without a call from you.
Departures drop-off
Running the reverse leg, or starting your journey at Luton.
Luton's terminal drop-off zone is the fastest way in, and the Mid Stay car park is the free short-waiting alternative with a shuttle. We handle whichever applies as part of the booking.
| Luton charge (2026) | Detail |
|---|---|
| Terminal drop-off | £7 for up to 10 minutes in the drop-off zone directly outside the terminal, then £1 per additional minute. |
| Free alternative | The Mid Stay car park offers a free short waiting period with a shuttle bus to the terminal. |
| If the charge isn't paid | £95 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £55 if paid within 14 days. ANPR cameras — no barriers. Payable by midnight the day after your visit. |
| Luton DART | The shuttle between the terminal and Luton Airport Parkway rail station: about 4 minutes, separate ticket from £4.90. Relevant only if you take the train. |
Charges are set by London Luton Airport, not by RushXO, and can change. With a RushXO booking any applicable charge is made clear at the time of booking — no meter, no surprise on arrival.
North or South — we drop you at the right door
Gatwick has two terminals, a three-minute automated shuttle apart. Arriving at the wrong one with luggage and a check-in deadline is the classic way to lose 20 minutes you did not budget for. Tell us the terminal at booking — it is on your airline confirmation — and we take you to that terminal's departures door.
North Terminal
British Airways (long-haul), TUI, Norwegian, WestJet and some easyJet routes.
Reached on the dedicated North Terminal spur off the Gatwick approach. Departures drop-off sits directly outside the check-in concourse.
South Terminal
easyJet (most routes), Ryanair, Vueling, British Airways short-haul and others.
The busier terminal at peak times because it connects directly to Gatwick railway station. Departures drop-off is on the upper forecourt.
Gatwick's drop-off charge
Gatwick raised its forecourt drop-off charge to £10 for up to 10 minutes on 6 January 2026, then £1 per additional minute up to a £30 cap and a 30-minute maximum stay. It is ANPR-enforced with no barriers, must be paid by midnight the following day, and unpaid it becomes a £100 Parking Charge Notice (£60 if paid within 14 days). The Long Stay car parks are free for up to two hours with a shuttle to the terminals. As with Luton, any applicable charge is settled inside your fixed fare — you deal with nothing on the day. Full detail on our Gatwick drop-off charge guide.
Fixed fares Luton to Gatwick
Every fare below is per vehicle, not per person, and is the exact total agreed at booking. It does not move with the traffic on the M25, the time of your flight, or how busy either airport is. There is no night rate, no weekend rate and no bank holiday rate.
| Vehicle | Passengers | Large cases | From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saloon | Up to 4 | 2 | £100 | Book → |
| Estate | Up to 4 | 3–4 | £115 | Book → |
| MPV 6-seater | Up to 6 | 5–6 | £130 | Book → |
| Executive (E-Class / 5 Series) | Up to 3 | 2 | £140 | Book → |
| 8-seater minibus | Up to 8 | 8 | £170 | Book → |
Luton (LTN) to Gatwick (LGW), either terminal. Fares fixed at booking. Child seats free on request.
What the fare already includes
The driver's time and fuel; the meet-and-greet inside Luton arrivals with a name board; luggage handling at both ends; real-time flight tracking with an automatic pickup adjustment; 60 minutes of free waiting after landing; and delivery to the correct Gatwick terminal door. No booking fee, no card surcharge, no airport charge to settle on the day.
The only thing that can add to it is waiting beyond the free hour, or a mid-route stop you ask for after booking — both quoted to you before they are applied, never applied silently.
Taxi, train or coach — an honest comparison
A fixed-price car is not automatically the right answer for this route, and we would rather tell you that than sell you the wrong journey. Here is how the three realistic options actually compare.
| Option | Door-to-door time | Typical cost | Changes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RushXO fixed-price car | 75–110 min | from £100 per car | None | Two or more people, luggage, early or late flights, tight connections |
| Thameslink train (direct) | 100–120 min incl. DART | ~£19–30 pp + £4.90 DART | DART shuttle + train | One person travelling light, in the daytime, with time in hand |
| National Express coach | 135–160 min | from ~£20 pp | None, but scheduled | Lowest cost when the departure time happens to suit you |
| Ride-hailing app | 75–110 min | Variable, surges | None | Off-peak only — the price is not known until you book |
Third-party times and prices are indicative, vary by operator and booking date, and should be checked with the operator. Correct at time of writing.
The train is genuinely good — with two caveats
Thameslink runs direct from Luton Airport Parkway to Gatwick Airport in roughly 80 to 95 minutes, frequently, and close to around the clock. For a solo traveller with a cabin bag in the middle of the day, it is hard to beat on price.
The caveats are the two things the headline journey time leaves out. First, the train does not start at the terminal: you need the Luton DART shuttle from the terminal to Luton Airport Parkway, a separate ticket from £4.90, plus the walk and the wait. Second, the economics flip fast with company: two people with cases are already at roughly £50–70 in rail fares before the DART, and four people are well past the cost of the whole car.
When we would tell you to take the train
Travelling alone, hand luggage only, daytime, and no tight connection at the far end. That is the train's journey and we will say so on the phone.
When the car is clearly the better call
Two or more passengers. Hold luggage, a pushchair, ski bags or cruise cases. A landing before 05:00 or after 22:00. A connection with less than five hours in it. Anyone travelling with children, with reduced mobility, or on business where an hour of certainty is worth more than £40. In every one of those cases the door-to-door car is both faster and, per head, usually cheaper.
Gatwick to Luton — the same journey in reverse
Roughly half of the bookings on this route are the other way round: land at Gatwick, connect to a Luton departure, or simply get home to Bedfordshire. It is the same fixed-price model in reverse and the same 70 miles — M23 north, M25 clockwise past Heathrow, M1 north to junction 10.
Coming out of Gatwick we meet you inside North or South arrivals with a name board, whichever terminal you land in, with 60 minutes of free waiting from touchdown to cover Border Force and baggage. Tell us the terminal at booking and we are in the right hall.
Booking both legs together on one reference is worth doing: give us both flight numbers and we track both, so a delay on the outbound automatically moves the return pickup. Full detail on the Gatwick to Luton transfer page.
Why RushXO for Luton to Gatwick
Airport-to-airport is the journey where a meter or a surge app hurts most. It is long, it crosses the M25 at unpredictable times, and it usually sits between two flights — so it is exactly the trip where you want the price and the timing settled before you set off.
The fare is fixed at booking. A 05:00 Luton pickup on a bank holiday costs the same as a Tuesday lunchtime. Traffic between M25 junctions 12 and 16 costs you nothing. There is no meter running while you clear baggage reclaim.
We track the flight, not the clock. The pickup moves automatically with your inbound. Land 40 minutes early and the driver is already there; land two hours late and nothing is charged for the wait. After touchdown you have 60 minutes free, and if immigration overruns the driver stays.
We know both ends properly. Luton's single terminal and its £7 drop-off; Gatwick's North/South split and its £10 forecourt charge. Your driver goes to the right terminal spur first time, which on a connection is worth more than the fare difference.
TfL licensed, UK dispatch, 24/7. RushXO is a licensed private hire operator, not a marketplace passing your booking to whoever bids lowest. Call 02088889988 at any hour and a UK controller answers.
Choosing the right vehicle for this route
Saloon — up to 4 passengers and 2 large cases. The default Luton–Gatwick transfer for couples and solo travellers. On a 70-mile motorway run it is the same roads and the same driver standard as anything above it.
Estate — up to 4 passengers with 3 or 4 large cases. The sensible upgrade when four people are connecting to a holiday flight and the boot maths does not work in a saloon.
MPV 6-seater — families and small groups with cruise or ski luggage. Child seats are free on request; tell us ages at booking.
Executive — Mercedes E-Class or BMW 5 Series with a suited chauffeur. Chosen for business connections where the 90 minutes on the M25 is working time.
8-seater minibus — the whole party and the luggage together on one fixed fare. Per head on this route it is normally the cheapest way to move eight people between the two airports.
Luton to Gatwick frequently asked questions
How much is a taxi from Luton to Gatwick?
How long does it take to get from Luton to Gatwick?
Why is it 70 miles when the airports are only 48 miles apart?
Is there a direct train from Luton Airport to Gatwick?
How much time should I leave between a Luton landing and a Gatwick departure?
Which Gatwick terminal do I need — North or South?
What is the Luton Airport drop-off charge in 2026?
What happens if my flight into Luton is delayed?
Can you do the return, Gatwick to Luton?
Is the price per person or per car?
Can you carry cruise luggage, ski bags or a group?
Do you charge extra at night, at weekends or on bank holidays?
Book your Luton to Gatwick transfer
One agreed fare for the whole 70 miles, meet-and-greet inside Luton arrivals, flight tracked, luggage handled, and delivery to the right Gatwick terminal — North or South. Saloon to 8-seater. TfL licensed.
More Luton & Gatwick routes & guides
This route: Gatwick to Luton · Luton to Gatwick: train vs taxi · All airport-to-airport transfers
Popular guides: Gatwick to Central London · Gatwick Drop-Off Charge 2026 · Gatwick Parking Guide 2026 · Heathrow vs Gatwick
Airports: Luton (LTN) · Gatwick (LGW) · Heathrow · Stansted · London City